This a little guide on how to recreate maps in image formats as Wesnoth maps.
For this, I use a little app called "Peek Through" by Luke Payne, I won't provide links nor explain how it works but it is easy to find, and really simple to use. That app works by making windows transparent (at some degree the defined by the user). If you've got any other equivalent software that makes windows transparent, you can use it too.

------------------Step 1:
Find the image of a map that you would like to recreate in Wesnoth.

Step 2:
Open the Wesnoth map editor and create a map of an appropriate size that is black(void/off map) or white(snow hexes). The reason for this is that these tiles will give you a high degree of contrast and it will be easier to create the outline of the map.
Keep in mind that the bigger the map(with more hexes), the more difficult it will be to draw the details of the map.

Step 3:
Make the map you choose transparent and put in position, make sure the area you want to copy is positioned within the drawing area of the Wesnoth Editor.

Step 4:
Turn off the transparency for the image window, and apply the transparency to the Wesnoth window.
Then start mapping! As I said earlier, in the beginning I find better to use terrains with contrasting colors (tipically black void and white snow) to make copying the outline easier.

Step 5:
When you are finished with the outline, start adding the map important spots (cities, castles, forests, mountains, etc).
------------------

Quite the opposite, half an hour to an hour.
It obviously depends of complexity of the shape you are trying to copy, but if you know how to do it (which is just the process I've explained in the first post) it takes way less time time than trying to imitate the shape of the map by looking at it.

First you copy the shape, then the dominant terrains(mountain, forest, desert, water areas, etc), lastly town and roads.

Wow, that is awesome! I always wanted A New Land co-op in a realistic/real life map.

Conquest Minus had a cool Middle-East map during the period of the crusades, with city labels and all.
It would be easy taking Europe or maps like these and converting them to ANL, it would play like Civilization.

Wow, that is awesome! I always wanted A New Land co-op in a realistic/real life map.

Conquest Minus had a cool Middle-East map during the period of the crusades, with city labels and all.
It would be easy taking Europe or maps like these and converting them to ANL, it would play like Civilization.

If you want to play civilization there are add-ons like "q civ" and "half civ"
More real world maps would always be cool.. like cool cool

Wow, that is awesome! I always wanted A New Land co-op in a realistic/real life map.

Conquest Minus had a cool Middle-East map during the period of the crusades, with city labels and all.
It would be easy taking Europe or maps like these and converting them to ANL, it would play like Civilization.

If you want to play civilization there are add-ons like "q civ" and "half civ"
More real world maps would always be cool.. like cool cool

I am thinking about making maps of West Africa, India and France for the 18th Century Era.